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Graham Minett

The Hidden Legacy: A Dark and Gripping Psychological Drama Paperback – 28 September 2016

by Minett, (Author)

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A life-changing gift with a shadowy origin - a dark and suspenseful debut novel. 1966. A horrifying crime at a secondary school, with devastating consequences for all involved.

2008. A life-changing gift, if only the recipient can work out why...

Recently divorced and with two young children, Ellen Sutherland is up to her elbows in professional and personal stress. When she's invited to travel all the way to Cheltenham to hear the content of an old woman's will, she's far from convinced the journey will be worthwhile. But when she arrives, the news is astounding. Eudora Nash has left Ellen a beautiful cottage worth an amount of money that could turn her life around. There's just one problem - Ellen has never even heard of Eudora Nash.

Her curiosity piqued, Ellen and her friend Kate travel to the West Country in search of answers. But they are not the only ones interested in the cottage, and Ellen little imagines how much she has to learn about her past...

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Product details

Publisher : Twenty7 (28 September 2016)
Language : English
Paperback : 448 pages
ISBN-10 : 1785770144
ISBN-13 : 978-1785770142
Dimensions : 12.7 x 2.79 x 20.32 cm

Customer Reviews:
289 ratings

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Review

A thought provoking, subtle novel. Graham Minett explores with delicacy the aftershocks of this terrible event, not simply the media outrage at the time but the ongoing reverberations which span decades. The ending is tender and moving. I was left thinking about the crucial role played by simple human kindness in our lives; the devastation caused by its absence. Great stuff! -- Jane Rusbridge, author of Rook

The Hidden Legacy is a gripping read, cleverly weaving multiple narratives and time frames to give a disturbing insight into a troubled childhood and its repercussions . . . heartbreaking -- Juliet West, author of Before The Fall

I was gripped from page one by Graham Minett's debut thriller. He approaches a tough subject with remarkable skill and sensitivity. I loved it. ― Fleur Smithwick, author of How To Make A Friend

A very tidy and thoughtful debut thriller -- Sharon Wheeler ― The Times Higher Education Published On: 2016-05-19

Book ALERT time! The Hidden Legacy is one to watch out for, when it hits the shops! If you are a fan of beautifully written and thought provoking mysteries, look no further. The Hidden Legacy is a rather slow burning and gripping drama, with long kept secrets at its heart ― Northern Crime Review Book Blog

I would recommend it for a fabulous read ― Tracy Shepard Book Blog

His was a fascinating book, and Minett has written an outstanding debut novel in The Hidden Legacy ― Nudge Books

Another writer more interested in why than who is G. J. Minett, who opens his first novel, The Hidden Legacy, with an horrific murder committed by a young boy at school in 1966...This is an intriguing and ultimately moving novel ― Book Oxygen

I loved the number of questions and mysteries raised by this book, as two seemingly unrelated characters are slowly brought together following a carefully pieced together investigation. I think the writing style perfectly suited the genre and I was gradually pulled in further as the novel continued. This is one of my favourite mysteries of the year, and I'm sorry I waited so long to read it. I would definitely recommend this book if you can get your hands on it, as it offers a thriller with a human twist that really makes you contemplate how closely crime is related to daily life ― Book Moods Reviews

Minett has created a cast of interesting characters and there is satisfaction in watching them discover the untruths and half-truths handed down through generations. Serious issues - child abuse, bullying, trial by media, violence, divorce, the bond between parent and child - are sensitively explored -- Sarah Gilmartin ― The Irish Times

About the Author

G.J. Minett studied at Cambridge and then spent many years as a teacher of foreign languages. He studied for an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Chichester, and won the 2010 Chapter One Prize for unpublished novels with the opening chapter of The Hidden Legacy. You can follow him on Twitter @gjminett and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/grahamminettauthor.

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Neats

This book should be on every booklover's TBR!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 September 2017

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The Hidden Legacy is an excellent debut novel by Graham Minett and one that I wish I'd found about sooner.

John Michael Adams is just a young boy at secondary school in the 60's when he commits a heinous crime in the school playground. During the trial the media took to calling him "Every Parents Nightmare" and it became one of those stories that no-one ever really forgets, and which the press resurrect at every given opportunity.

Fast forward to 2008 and we meet Ellen Sutherland, recently divorced with two children and busy trying to find the right work/life balance. When she receives a letter from a solicitor asking her to get in touch, she almost dismisses it but then curiosity gets the better of her. The result is she has inherited a chocolate-box cottage in The Cotswolds. Primrose Cottage belonged to Eudora Nash and Ellen has never heard of her, so why would she leave her this beautiful cottage? With her mother having dementia and not knowing the identity of her father, Ellen decides to do some research to try and find out more about her mystery benefactor.

It's not long before Ellen realises that someone else is also interested in Eudora's history but how is this all connected to her?

You're probably thinking that this is a story that sounds familiar, person X receives a letter telling them about an inheritance etc, etc, but take it from me, you'll be hard pushed to find one that's as well written, gripping and full of twists and turns as The Hidden Legacy.

The prologue is one of those that has you literally holding your breath and it's easy to see how Minett won the Chapter One competition in 2010, with what would eventually become this exceptionally written debut novel. The writing is intelligent and beautifully descriptive in parts and the story is a complex one but the execution is flawless resulting in a fluid transition between the past and present.

Examining how society feels and treats child killers, even years after the event and justice has been served is a brave subject to tackle and the way that the book is constructed makes for compelling reading. As much as I was eager to find out exactly how Eudora was connected to Ellen I also wanted/needed to know more John Michael Adams to find out what had pushed him to the place that would cause him to perform his hideous act.

I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers, mysteries, crime. . . . . . actually just to anyone who reads! It's a fantastic book and it deserves to get more recognition, along with the author himself. If you're looking for something to read then I urge you to give The Hidden Legacy a try, I'm sure you'll love it!

6 people found this helpful

Siltone

A Cracking Mystery - I loved it!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 July 2017

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Novels of this calibre remind me why reading can be such a rewarding experience. This turns out to be the author's debut novel - what a way to kick off a literary career. I really did find it to be a top-drawer mystery which was skilfully executed.

It's one if those stories that is difficult to summarise without giving away those dreaded spoilers. So I would advise you to not even read the blurb on the back cover - just open to chapter one, sit back and enjoy the journey. I was gripped from the opening pages and found it had so many twists and turns. It's definitely one of those "I'll just read one more chapter before going to bed "novels.

The author kept me on my toes throughout as I followed events featuring several believable characters and their participation in a story that flipped backwards and forwards through different decades. In less adept hands, this method of storytelling could have resulted in confusion for the reader. However, hats off to G.J. Minett because I whizzed through this book and didn't once lose the thread. The style of writing was very much to my taste and I could appreciate that the author had invested a lot of time in developing the plot and giving a realistic voice to each of his characters. Also, he made every word and sentence count - that's some achievement in a book that runs to 436 pages.

This is a novel I shall be recommending to my friends (all of them 'occasional' readers) because it's an ideal choice for them to take on their holidays. I shall now be ordering G.J. Minett's second book, Lie In Wait.

8 people found this helpful

Read and Reviewed

Stunning, surprising.. An example of psychological fiction at its very best!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 February 2016

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Launched in November 2015 it is hard to see what has kept this exceptionally well written psychological thriller from gaining more critical acclaim. Subtitled 'a dark and shocking psychological drama', this is an intelligent, intriguing and most of all, superbly well constructed mystery. The accomplishment for a debut author cannot be overstated and it would seem an injustice that by virtue of his representation by a new independent publisher that Graham Minett remains under the radar.

Opening with a shocking prologue from twelve year old schoolboy, John Michael Adams, as he commits a horrific attack upon two girls in a school playground in 1966, this is a story which hooks you right from the off. Readers are presented with a glimpse into the mindset of a child driven to a despicable act whom the national press soon dub "Every Parents Nightmare".

Fast forward to 2008 and meet harassed Ellen Sutherland, newly divorced and combining a full time job with the demands of single parenting and a mother succumbing to the frailties of dementia. The arrival of a solicitors letter curtly asking her to make urgent contact regarding the last will and testament of Eudora Jane Nash leaves her flabbergasted. The name means nothing to her and she assumes it is simply a clerical error. When the overly sincere solicitor suggests a meeting Ellen laughs off the idea of making a six-hour round trip. That is until it is disclosed that she has been bequeathed a picturesque cottage in a Cotswolds village of significant financial worth. Remaining unconvinced she mentions the name Eudora Nash in passing to her mother and her boss, a man who is like a father to her and can sense she has ruffled some feathers and from then on decides to delve deeper... With accompaniment from best friend Kate making for a brilliant contrast to the staid Ellen, the pair set out to discover just what has been hidden for so many years.

From then on the reader remains with present day Ellen and interlaced between her narrative are extracts from the deceased Eudora Nash and John Michael Adams. Despite the traversing timeline the novel intuitively flows very well and readers can sense a stylistic differing between each narrator which keeps the story moving. With Ellen uncovering all of this in the present day she adds a sense of solidity to the novel. As questions arise Minett tackles them in a timely manner yet always remains one step ahead and as each layer of intricacy is peeled back he constantly surprises his readers. It is a considerable time since I have read such an ingenious plot construction from a psychological fiction novel.

Over the intervening years the story of the John Michael Adams is disclosed and offers an insight into minor who remains a media target for vilification, seemingly fair game for a witch hunt to uncover his whereabouts and identity upon release. The portrayal of him as a man unable to make a fresh start paints a moving portrait of a life spent running away and the shifting ground underneath him.

The Hidden Legacy is a stunning unravelling of just how the lives of Eudora Nash, John Michael Adams and Ellen Sutherland are connected and why Eudora has gone to so much time and effort to locate Ellen and leave Primrose Cottage to her. With the slippery private investigator Frank O'Halloran remaining on the periphery and serving as a connection featuring in every one of the individual narrations it is increasingly clear that there are others who have an interest in this story.

Minett never dictates to his readers how they should interpret the wider issues which he raises through The Hidden Legacy and it it hard not to consider how child murderers are punished, accountability in later years and the ensuing media circus which never allow these things to be forgotten. Ellen has mixed emotions about her relationship with her mother, specifically regarding her unwillingness to talk about the past, yet she is wracked with remorse as she rushes up and down the country hunting the mystery surrounding a ninety-one year old lady who she has never met whilst her ailing mother grows weaker. My overriding thought throughout the novel related to just how much a person can jeopardise in blinkered pursuit of a long held secret and the risks that this necessitates.

Whilst unputdownable is often used ad nauseam in reviews Graham Minett does not put a foot wrong in this captivating and emotionally involving story. As each layer of intricacy is uncovered he never resorts to sensationalism in his consideration of a teenage murderer or falls back on the overly twee pull on the heart strings. This is a moving and often profound example of the psychological fiction genre and poses numerous questions leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions.

This may not be one of the heralded psychological thrillers but is deserves to be one of the most widely read and establish G.J. Minett as a striking new talent in the increasingly crowded market of psychological fiction. Outstanding.

Review written by Rachel Hall (@hallrachel).

14 people found this helpful

Graham of Watton

Most enjoyable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 February 2016

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'The Hidden Legacy' is G J Minett's excellent début novel, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's a psychological drama which opens with a description of the horrific attack in 1966 by a 12 year old boy in the school playground on 2 girls,one of whom dies as a result of her injuries. The story then jumps forward more than 40 years to 2008, when a recently-divorced woman with two young children is notified by a solicitor that she has been left a beautiful cottage in the Cotswolds in the will of a woman whom she has never heard of. Gradually these two strands of the story come together, as we discover the what connects them.

Some people may put off by the fact that 'The Hidden Legacy' is described as being "dark and shocking" - in fact, it's not particularly dark, and only the school playground incident is shocking. However, this is not a criticism of the book itself, which has a terrific plot, believable characters and excellent dialogue. It also provides an insight into society's lack of awareness of child psychology in the 1960s. If you enjoy reading psychological dramas, then I thoroughly recommend you try 'The Hidden Legacy'.

6 people found this helpful

*Flora*

I loved this amazing mystery novel. What twists & turns! What raw emotions! I enjoyed every part of this journey!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 December 2017

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...So, what did I like about it?
I was very impressed with Mr Minett’s writing style; his use of language, the way he built the plot and added clever twists and turns to his tale. I liked the way this story was told; revealing different aspects of the tale using the viewpoint of his ongoing characters while transporting us to 3 important time frames to expose pertinent situations as they happen. Don’t worry, I think I’m making it sound more complicated than it is ;-) Mr Minett subtitles each section so that we know who we’re reading about and which time period we’re in. It all flows beautifully allowing the plot to deepen and our connections with, and understanding of, the characters to grow.

I was definitely gripped. I feel as though I’ve been on an amazing journey, I’ve giggled, I’ve cried and I’ve been entertained with a well written mystery that’s also left me asking my own questions about how I choose to treat the people around me. I am the sort of person who sees the glass as being half full rather than half empty so my interpretation of the ending may differ from yours – this is not a definite “happy ever after” ending but it did leave me with a smile on my face. I liked it.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?
I must confess that when I read in the blurb that part of this story was about a child who’d killed another child, I was reluctant to start reading (it’s not a theme I feel comfortable with) however this part of the story was very well written and left me questioning how we view these tragic instances and the people involved, how the media almost certainly play their part in these events and how the ripples of that one moment in time can still be felt throughout the decades.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...
I loved this amazing mystery novel. What twists & turns! What raw emotions! I enjoyed every part of this journey! It sort of reminded me of a few of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple mysteries in that it had a wealth of well written characters and a plot that exposes the human complexities of life while keeping me reading right to the last page. If you’re a fan of mystery stories I’d definitely recommend buying The Hidden Legacy!

2 people found this helpful

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